Ignorance is Bliss
by chloebealehuh
Summary: Beca sees Emily kiss Benji at the Worlds and it makes her realise a few things about herself and Chloe. Cute oneshot.


They were kissing. I mean, good for Benji, Jesse always told me how he struggled with girls and Emily was a really pretty girl, but they've barely met and when they do meet if's for very short periods of time. And they were kissing.

Part of me found it a little funny because Emily was like the baby of the Bellas due to her being the newest addition and also only a Freshman. The other part of me was a little bit jealous. Not that I wanted to kiss Benji or Emily, but that they had found each other and they were pretty perfect for each other.

I did have Jesse and it was nice while it lasted. He's a sweet guy, always cared about me but I just never cared for him in the same way. I feel pretty bad I dragged it on for three years but luckily he didn't take the break up too hard. His words were "I understand. I hope you love someone else like I love you one day" and then he left the porch of the Bella house with this sad smile that made me feel so much worse. I kind of wished he would just shout at me because I really deserved that, but he didn't because he's a great guy and that made it all the more worse.

When Emily and Benji broke apart from their kiss and after Benji finished pulling out his magic cloth thing from his mouth, which was a little odd but hey it is Benji, I coughed to make my presence known.

"Benji" I nodded to which he gave an awkward, excited smile and I just smiled back because the whole situation was so cute but I needed Emily on stage in like five minutes.

I made my way over to the rest of the Bellas in the right wing of the massive stage as Emily trailed behind rather awkwardly. Chloe is going to laugh when I tell her this story. She always found Freshman romance a little comical and it might give Emily some brownie points after that Riff Off which I don't think Chloe has totally recovered from.

I remember that night, when we got back and how distraught she was. I was walking through the landing on my way to the room I shared with Amy when I came across faint sniffles coming from the redhead and Stacie's room. I stopped in my tracks and delicately pressed my ear against the door. It was Chloe crying. I could tell it was Chloe and not Stacie because every few moments she would let out this little noise between sniffles that was definitely her voice. And Stacie was never really the crying type, whereas Chloe is pretty emotional whether that's good emotions or bad.

I quietly knocked, so not to scare her and placed my hand on the handle. "Chloe. Chloe can I come in?"

There was a little shuffling for a few moments before a puffy eyed redhead appeared at the door which was only slightly cracked open. It was obvious she had tried to clean herself up as her hair was in a makeshift bun and her mascara looked like it had been brushed to the sides after running down her face. And she was still so beautiful. Wait what?

"Hey" she offered with a unconvincing smile that didn't reach her eyes. Her smiles always reach her eyes.

"Hey. Want to talk about it?" I asked in a hushed voice.

She stood quietly for a second before releasing her shoulders in defeat and letting me in.

We sat on her bed as she cried into my shoulder about how sad she was that we lost the Riff Off, about how much she wanted to win the Worlds and how much of a failure she felt and I tried to ignore the way it felt when Chloe wrapped her arms around me because that just was not appropriate. I consoled her as best I could but it's not exactly my forte. She lifted her head and looked at me with those beautiful, puffy blues and said something that hasn't quite left me since.

"I'm afraid to leave here. Because if i leave here I leave you" my mouth dropped a little in shock "-and the Bellas" she quickly finished. I passed it off as a simple mistake. She was upset, her mind was a mess. There isn't anyway that I'm any more special than any other one of the Bellas. Surely.

I stood there and watched Chloe rally the group, ready for the final performance the Bellas will ever do together.

"This one's for us!" She exclaimed to the group before letting her eyes fall on mine. We stood there for what seemed like a long while just looking at each other and in that moment I realised it. Chloe is the Benji to my Emily. The smile I had been sporting fell a little at this realisation. We had all just graduated. There is a good chance I won't ever see Chloe again. I had missed my chance due to my famous Mitchell ignorance to my feelings.

Chloe must have noticed this because she left the other Bellas who were all talking in a group and motivating each other and approached me with a furrowed brow. She lay a hand on my shoulder and came in close so she could be heard over the crowds outside.

"Beca, are you okay?" I nodded and put on the most convincing smile I could muster because I really was not okay. Benji and Emily had managed to do it within a year of meeting. I have had three years and not made a sing move. I wasted all my time in a relationship I just wasn't invested in and now I'm going to lose the one person who could probably make me happy. "Beca, you can tell me anything."

I looked up at her after staring at the ground and held my jaw tight because I really could not tell her this thing. "I can't tell you this one, Beale" I said sorrowfully.

Her brows seemed to furrow further before she pulled me into one of those Chloe hugs that nobody else can really match. She let out a breath by my ear at which I shivered. "Well I have something to tell you and I have got a feeling it may be what you want to tell me" she said as she sighed.

She released me from the hug, held me at the shoulder and squeezed a little before placing a lingering kiss on my right cheek. She pulled back and gave me a reassuring smile, although it could have been an amused smile because I'm pretty sure I was the colour of a tomato. I watched as she made her way onto the stage before following and hoping my face was back to its original colour.

And we nailed it. The set was amazing. Fat Amy's pants didn't rip, Emily's song was a hit, the old Bellas were brilliant and it honestly could not have gotten better. But it was over and the lights had dimmed after the crowd had calmed down and we were in that awkward moment where we didn't know what to do or where to go and God was it dark. The only real light seemed to be coming from those flashlights Benji handed out.

I made my way right, tripping over a few Bellas on the way trying to get to a quiet safe spot to cool down from all the excitement. Suddenly I felt two hands grabbing my shoulders from behind and squealed a little before being hushed. I stayed obedient as the strange hands slowly turned me around and I was facing Chloe in the dim light.

"Chloe, what the hell?" I said through my laughter.

"I don't want you to leave me" she deadpanned.

"What? I am right here Chlo-"

"No, I mean ever. I don't want you to leave me now that we've graduated" she said and her voice had noticeably quietened at the last words. I stood motionless as her hands stayed rested on my tense shoulders. "Say something. Beca, I love you. More than just a friend." I was still quiet, just staring at her silhouette. "Becs, please say something" she pleaded and her voice was cracking now.

"Me too" I said a little too quickly.

Chloe's head lifted a little. "Really?" And the hope in her voice was obvious.

"I've wanted to" I stopped because I wasn't sure if I should say how much I've wanted to be with Chloe for so long but just never realised it. How every time our skin touched and I got those goosebumps it wasn't because the contact shocked me, it was because I wanted that contact all the time. How having Chloe just near by always made me feel so much better even in my darkest moments. How much I have wanted to be with Chloe Beale for so long. So I settled with "I have wanted…to kiss you all night" I finally let out with a soft laugh so I didn't look too dorky.

And then it was quiet again and I was so scared I'd made a mistake in confessing that but it was true and I really don't have anything to lose now when suddenly her lips were on mine.

The kiss was slow and soft and everything kisses with Jesse weren't. Her hands trailed their way from my shoulders to my neck and finally rested on either side of my jaw as my arms snaked around her waist. In that moment it was just me and Chloe, except the cheers that could be heard from the other Bellas, and suddenly all the feelings I had had for the redhead made sense.


End file.
